Steve and Jen are probably two of the most generous, authentic and caring people you will ever meet. They honestly rocked our worlds at the bebbinar and we will forever be grateful for attending (sappy, i know, but the honest truth) ... we have been to several conferences, workshops, etc and have listened to many great photographers but we can honestly say that the bebbs are among the best we have ever heard (and no, we do not get royalties, kickbacks, or anything of the sorts for saying this:).

What separates Steve & Jenn from all the other photographers we have heard is that they are not trying to create "mini bebbs" ... and by that I mean that they are not trying to create mini versions of themselves ... they don't just give you the "ten steps to success" ... they take a humble approach that forces you to bring out the "rockstar" (for lack of a better term) photographer that is inside each of us. They are not trying to get you to be something you're not, they are all about harnessing the passion inside of you that made you want to be a photographer ... and giving you the tools to turn that passion into a successful business.

Anyways, this is getting way too long but I just had to give props to my new homies Steve & Jen ... if you have the opportunity to go to one of their workshops, you are literally crazy if you don't ... it will be one of the best moves you ever make for your business ... period

Check out more of ben + laura's work at their website and blog!

www.benharrisonphotography.com/blog : the blog

www.benharrisonphotography.com : the website

While we were still planning when we would actually have the Bebbinar, Nikki and I began chatting back and forth on DWF. She had mentioned that she would love to come and that they were going to be on the West Coast of the US during a certain set of dates - if the Bebbinar was during that time, she would definitely be there. Steve and I talked about it and thought, why not? It was a great set of dates and at least we would have one person come!

Nikki is such a delightful person - she truly is! She sat in the front row for all three days and I often found myself speaking to her. I knew that she was one of our more shy attendees, in that she didn't know anyone before coming and I really did hope that she not only learned from us, but also from the other people in the room. I shouldn't have worried, because Nikki settled right in very quickly!

In an email Nikki sent me about the Bebbinar, she made a really great point about things that happened in the evenings. I haven't been to tons of workshops, but the ones I have been at have always had the participants find their own things to do during the evening. About a week before the seminar began, Steve and I realized that we wanted to plan things that would tie in with the overall theme of what we were teaching - and so we made arrangements for evening activities. Not everyone participated, which was to be expected, but in hindsight, we should have let Nikki know ahead of time. She had her whole family with her and they spent their evenings together...at events they had planned before hand. It was a valuable critique and we will definitely be making note of that for v2.0.

So with that....Nikki's thoughts:

What was the Bebbinar to me?

Well, I was nervous about it all, I had the funny feeling that I would be the only one not from North America and I was right, I was the only one daft enough to come across the pond and see what all the fuss is about! I have always enjoyed the work of the Bebbs, they are on my list of blogs that I check regularly, and they happen to live in the best place in the world, how could I NOT go?!?!

I was amazed at Jen offering to make the time of the first Bebbinar around a time I could actually go, and I signed up before it even went live, I was so excited to be a part of it all.

On the first night, as my family walked me to the door of Bebbs studios, I though "Oh crap! I hate walking into new places!" and to begin with, I did feel like I had walked into a party late. From the information given to me prior to the start of the seminar, it looked like the strategy was to make everyone turn up at different times, and not all at the same time. Even though for a change, I was early, I seemed to be the last one there, and it looked like the party had already started!! I got the most amazing welcome from the wonderful Jen, but then felt a bit of a lemon, while everyone else had made friends! Fortunately, I made a beeline for one person I have been wanting to talk to for ages, the lovely Lulu from Calgary. Lulu and I have been "virtual friends" for years now and finally we meet, and of course then we end up blethering all night, and not really socialising with others, whoops!! It didn't help that the first night party felt a little split up over the tables, but it was the best of a bad situation when the original restaurant bailed on us.

The next morning was the first official day of the seminar, and it was galling, excited, enthralling and embarrasing, sitting watching the talent of the other participants, as well as your own work. What a brilliant idea though! Other seminars I have been to, have had the talker show a slideshow of their own work, and then the seminar has been about them, and their work, and you walk away inspired and with possibly a few ideas that you can attach to your own business. But the Bebbinar really wasn't about the Bebbs and their work, it was about each individual person that was there and what the Bebbs could do to push each and every person, on in their business. Making the others talk about what your photos show them, what style, what feeling it gives, was a real eye opener; you can imagine that is what clients do with your work! And the numbers of participants was so right, any more and it would have felt uncomfortable. And I loved how it was all based in the actual studio itself and not as originally planned, in an auditorium.

The shooting task was a blast, in every way possible!
"Shoot jpeg" they said, "oh sugar" I said!
I don't rate myself as a great photographer, and I love RAW shooting and the leyway it gives me when I cock up exposures!! I hadn't shot JPEG for nearly 2 years............
Sod it, I thought, if I cock up, it's no probelm, and isn't this all about pushing boundaries, yes it damn well was! And I made it harder for myself, I shot the whole task in manual, something a bit strange for a AV kinda gal!

I was gobsmacked............ I could not believe the work I turned out!! Granted, having a hot couple to work with was so much easier than what I was used to, so posing wasn't an issue. This meant I could concentrate on working my camera, and my eye. We all had a shot at taking charge, I wasn't too fussed about this apsect as I work alone at weddings, but I know others in my group were nervous about this part, yet they rocked! The light was muted, and I had deliberately not brought any flash with me, as I have previously felt that I rely too much on flash, so I was truely pushing all boundaries.

The second day, was a great day with the amazing business entrepreneur Laura Novak. It was wonderful to meet up with her again, having second shot with her in Delaware last year. What she said made so much sense, and gave me so many ideas to take home and work on in the business (and I already have her Strategy Avenue CDs and now they make so much more sense)

ShootQ; wow, it sounds and looks amazing, and I reallly REALLY hope it does come over the pond to the UK, as it would make my life sOOOOOO much easier!

Day three was the most nerve racking; seeing the results of the images taken on day one. I was blown away again by the talent I was working alongside, and I wasn't too embarrassed about what I shot, and what was shown. Infact, it was such a confidence boost to see the work I could turn out, it really made me a better photographer, as I never would have had the guts to shoot JPEG and manual at a wedding of my own! Yet now I know I can get the images I want, not just what the camera gets for me!

There was so much socialising after hours in this seminar, such a pity that we weren't warned about this, previous seminars have been 9 to 5 ish and then you on the whole are left alone at night. My family and I had already booked hockey tickets for one of the nights of the seminar, and I missed out on what sounded like a great night out. And again it wasn't just a "Night out"; the Bebbs had really thought about all the places we were taken to, to see branding, service and presentation in many different forms.

I walked away from this seminar with a boot up my bum............ strange thing to say but perhaps if I say it was a much-needed boot up the bum, then you will realise that this seminar has done more for me in 3 days than any other seminar has done over the past 7 years. I am at the stage of just about to jump into full time photography, and yet I had reached a stage of "Am I actually any good at this?" By forcing us to shoot out of our comfort zone, by showing us how important branding is, by showing us how other people see our work, it was all the boot up the bum I needed to say "Yes I AM bloody good at this, yes I can go full time and yes I can sustain this business with my talent!

And how do I know I can do it? I have just come back from a weekend in Paris, second shooting for the lovely Christa Hoffarth from California, who very kindly picked me from all the names she got, to go "play" at a wedding she had in the city. The condition was, I was to shoot JPEG!!! I did laugh at this when I got her email, and I did say to her that before the Bebbinar, I would have said no to this, I didn't think I was technically good enough to get the shots she required in JPEG. But guess what? I went, I did it, I shot JPEG, I shot completely in manual the whole wedding which was a first for me and I got some amazing shots! I couldn't believe it, what a boost it was to my confidence and all thanks to the Bebbinar, as I would have seriously turned down this job the minute she mentioned shooting only in JPEG!

It was so worth the trip over, the money spent and the time away. I met so many other amazing photographers at the seminar, it was a shame I didn't get to speak to them all but they were all influencial and I check all their blogs now. I hope I can meet up with some of them again in Tampa (maybe you should do a Bebbinar reunion at Tampa?!)

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the confidence boost, the welcome, and the boot up the bum, I will be enternally grateful for the Bebbinar!

These two are just RAD. No, really - that is the name of their studio. Pretty clever, huh?

We have known these two for a while now and had the incredible good fortune to be able to photograph their wedding. I don't know how much we had to do with their decision to pursue photography themselves, but to think that we may have had even a little bit of influence is certainly amazing.

From the beginning, Ral and Danelle have wanted to do it their way while still respecting the people that came before them. They aren't interested in short cuts or coattails - these two want to pursue their art with integrity and truth. And they do it. Their hearts are true (and huge) and you can see their sincerity in every aspect of their work. I truly expect that one day we will go head-to-head on jobs with them and maybe even lose a few. Yes, they are that good!

We have had a few conversations with these two since the last night of the Bebbinar that left all four of us in tears. I've taken the following from their blog:

I had no idea what to expect when Matt and Trish walked through our door. The images that I had seen from the two of them leading up to the Bebbinar were powerful and strong, but there was a dichotomy between them and I wondered if that would be the case in real life. The fact is that Trish and Matt are two of the most likable people in the world. They each have an infectuous laugh and ready smiles and they are so obviously in love with each other and their children.

Here is what Trish wrote to me recently:

The Bebbinar. It was an experience that challenged, humbled & encouraged me.

Jen & Steve put so much energy into each day & every minute were fully present & open. I learned about business, I learned about relationships, I learned about photography. Each hour, each day I was constantly amazed by learning from 2 people who have plenty of photography & life experiences with lessons that related on so many levels to what I came to learn (& of course the fabulous Laura Novack & Mark from ShootQ were incredible as well).

Jen & Steve were the first there & always the last to leave. They constantly encouraged networking & each person seemed comfortable & willing to let their guards down & open to learning & sharing with the others. I left there with many questions answered & more knowledge & information than I could process.

It's been a month now & I have implemented so many of the ideas & suggestions I took away from the seminar. The response from clients has been positive, and I feel much more focused as a person, photographer & in our business.

Is it worth it? Absolutely! I would do it again in a heartbeat if I could & I recommend taking part if you get the chance. It kicked my butt & kicked the business into high gear. Thank you guys!!!!!!

Based in Alberta, I have known these two for several years thanks to the DWF. Lulu and I were actually mods together for a while until she left that position to focus more intently on the business.

There are two things that strike you right away about these two - their sincerity and their kindness. What you don't expect, based on first impressions alone, is the fantastic way these two both see the world. They might be quiet in a crowd, but their work is anything but. In fact, Rich won the website giveaway for an image he made the very first day.

The winning image:

We received the following email from Lulu:

Thank you both so much for all you put into the Bebbinar. It was totally fabulous and will impact our business and our outlook for years to come. Our drive back to Calgary was punctuated by, "how does that fit with our values and goals?" and "how does that fit our brand?" comments.

Thanks to your branding exercises we've come up with a new tagline (never had one before or felt the need for one) in prep for our new fab website (can't wait!). It's a bit cheesy but we are working on it: Quietly Focussed on You. It won't be everywhere, but we'll use it somehow as it truly describes us and how we work. We'll also be labelling everything on the site as "your"... Your Life, Your Love, Your Day, Your Family, Your Kids... etc. And, thanks to Laura, we have a starting set of values and goals to point us down the correct paths.

Thank you also for being real, for letting us into your life and business, and showing us how you got where you are today. As parents we realize the sacrifices you made in your personal life to spend so much time with us, and we truly do appreciate it all. Your open hearts and willingness to share will take the industry to a better place all around.

So, our thanks so the two of you, for your willingness to come all the way to North Vancouver, sit on hard chairs for three days and really open your hearts to us. When I read the workbooks after that first day, I was brought to tears by the honesty and truth you were willing to share with us. You are truly an amazing couple and I know that you will succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Keep surprising us with your images. I can't wait to see what you two do next!